Reporting to the Police

For adult survivors, you are permitting an investigation of the assault by reporting to the police. You are the only person who can decide if reporting is the right choice for you. An advocate at your local Rape Crisis Center can help you understand your options.

The police department in the city or town where the assault happened will be responsible for the investigation of your report, with some exceptions:

Some large universities and college campuses have their own police departments who may be responsible if an assault happens on their campus.

If it is not clear where the assault took place, if the assault happened in more than one location or over a period of time, you can call an advocate at the Forensic Information Line at 866-463-3799 for help.

The police will ask you to give a statement that includes all of the details you can remember about the assault. The statement that you give will be kept as evidence and will be used to help with the investigation.

If you’ve already reported to the police, here are some possible next steps.

This project was supported by Grant #2009-WF-AX-0014 awarded by the Violence Against Women Grants Office, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety & Security Office of Grants & Research and subgranted to the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. Points of view in this document are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice or the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety Programs Division.